Ziraat Botanik Tea Garden

Top choice in Black Sea Coast


At the summit of a steep urban hill, this unexpected little paradise is primarily a delightful teahouse beneath a big, fragrant magnolia tree, but there are other fine trees, labelled flowers and shrubs, and a scaled-down version of a tea factory with glass windows for you to peep in and see the machinery. Don't miss the splendid views across the valley to the castle and to the picturesque southern slopes, steeply fused with tea plantations.

It's a short hop on rare dolmuş 6 from outside the tourist office or an unrelentingly steep, 20-minute climb on foot via Zihni Derin Caddesi.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Black Sea Coast attractions

1. Rize Museum

0.35 MILES

Up the stairs behind the tourist-office kiosk, this fine, Ottoman-era house has mannequins modelling traditional costumes. The basement has a mish-mash of…

2. Rize Castle

0.44 MILES

Built by the Byzantines on the steep hill at the back of town, Rize's modest kale (castle) has two concentric sections. The upper, inner fortress might…

3. Zilkale

24.03 MILES

The region's most spectacular man-made attraction is the neatly restored 13th-century shell of Zil Castle, a fine stone tower surrounded by sturdy walls…

4. Çat Yayla

24.64 MILES

High, high above (lower) Çat village, Çat Yayla sits at around 1800m is a glorious area of comparatively accessible meadows that are at their most…

5. Palovit Şelalesi

25.81 MILES

This powerful, if fairly narrow, 15m waterfall is best viewed from the roadside overlook, though few visitors can resist the temptation to descend on the…

6. Pokut

26.97 MILES

On clear days, the views from this summer shepherds' hamlet (elevation 2030m) seem to stretch to infinity with a foreground of typical bungalows climbing…